Mai Village Restaurant survives downturn with some help

ST. PAUL (July 9, 2013) — Mai Village Restaurant and the Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA) are proud to announce that Mai Village Restaurant in Saint Paul’s Little Mekong district has overcome its recent financial difficulties and will remain open as one of the premiere Asian cuisine restaurants in the Twin Cities.

Mai Village will celebrate their continued success and thank their loyal customers by holding two special events in July. Mai Village will have a Dragon Dance performance on Thursday, July 18, with Sweet Rhubarb, a Saint Paul folk-bluegrass music group performing from 6 to 8 pm. Mai Village is also offering costumers 10 percent off their entire meal from July 11 until the end of month. Additionally, Mai Village will host a private event tonight at 6:30 p.m. for donors and special guests. This event is open to the media and you are encouraged to RVSP to [email protected]

“We are very excited to thank our loyal costumers with these two special events. We hope to show them how much we appreciate everything they have done for us over the past two years” said owner Mai Nguyen.

In the early 1990s, Mai Village led the effort to revitalize east University Avenue into the small business district it is today. As Mai Village enters a new phase, it will continue to be a major attraction in Saint Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood. Throughout its 22-year history, Mai Village has drawn in costumers from across the Twin Cities with its quality cuisine, friendly costumer service and well-designed restaurant. The restaurant specializes in Vietnamese cuisines with menu items like fresh whole grilled fish, grilled beef noodle salad.

Moving forward, Mai Village has refreshed it looks, revamped its menu, added a happy hour, added management support, and hired new service staff. “It’s a new chapter for us,” said Kathy Gould, who has stepped in to help manage the day-to-day operations of Mai Village. “We hope our customers will let us know how we can keep them coming.”

The opulent Franco-Vietnamese interior of Mai Village Restaurant.

Mai Village’s financial difficulties reached a pinnacle in 2012 as the combined economic recession and light rail transit construction kept costumers away. As the restaurant went into foreclosure, many of its customers came out to support Mai Village. The Asian Economic Development Association started a “save Mai Village campaign” and attracted customers who flocked to the restaurant for many weeks. The campaign raised more than $40,000 from individual donors that helped Mai Village stay afloat during the foreclosure redemption. AEDA also provided assistance to Mai Village by finding a new owner for the building. The appropriate owner would keep Mai Village open in the same building and under the current owner as an independent business. Hmong American Partnership, a nonprofit organization with 23 years of service to the community, stepped up and bought the property. Preserving Mai Village is priority for Hmong American Partnership. A long-term partnership has been developed by both parties to keep Mai Village in Little Mekong for the foreseeable future.

Asian Economic Development Association is a 501c3 focusing on economic opportunities for Asian small businesses and families through advocacy, training and community planning. For information visit www.aeda-mn.org or call 651-222-7798.